By Tania Kiany, TIWP Student

Chapter one

Once upon a time, when nobody was someone, a girl was born. Her name is Cleo, Cleo Wonder. And when she turned ten she started believing anyone, yes anyone, is SOMEONE.

5 YEARS LATER………………………..

Cleo is 15, and has made many friends. She is in high school and she is the new kid…AGAIN!! As for friends, I mean imaginary friends, she has lots. “Why does she not have any real friends?” you might be thinking. Well, in this time no one had any friends.

Now back to the story: She always tried to find a friend but so far failed. It only got worse as the war worsened. Many became orphans, but she had been an orphan since she was one week old.

“Hey Puna!” Puna is her best imaginary friend, and not “puma,” but Puna. Puna waved. “Hi! How are you doing?” Puna asks. “Good,” Cleo said. Cleo’s eyes widen because today is Wednesday and on Wednesday they eat goose water.

THE GROSSEST THING EVER!!!! UGH! “Ring.” “Oops!” Cleo dropped a metal ball she found on the floor. She tried to pick it up without realizing she was in bed, wrapped in blankets. “Thump.” “Oof,” she said. “I forgot I just woke up.”

10 minutes later … school started and everyone rushed in making so much noise, not happy sounds, mean ones. Why? Because they were pushing each other. “When we finally get inside,” Cleo thought, “everyone will be beat.” The only sounds for a full 15 minutes were huffing and moaning. Cleo took out her secret notebook and wrote: “2019 was a perfect year in our world.” She wrote this not sure if it was perfect in other worlds. She closed the notebook and threw it in her secret pocket.

Zulda, a cute imaginary friend, said “HEY SCHOOL! HOW ARE YOU DOING?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Cleo did NOT want to draw attention as the new kid without being prepared. “Oh I should not distract you. Bye,” Zulda whispered, as she vanished without a trace. “Sigh.” Cleo knew Zulda will come back later in the day when everyone sat on the spiky and slightly sticky chairs.

Cleo always thought these chairs came from the messy art room. The spikes tell you answers, explain how to get the answers, they set reminders, and tell you what you might have misunderstood. But hers was extra sweet so it put a spike in her hair and buried it so it would help outside school. It also gave her a candy that turns into whatever you want or need. When you eat one, another appears on your head or in your pockets or palm.

She almost fell off of her chair when it was lunch time because that meant goose water – UGH!!!! She picked the smallest amount, ate it and drank water immediately. After lunch they had break time. They never had break except on goose water days, and the break lasted one loooooong hour. Zulda came over. “Hey how are you doing?” Zulda asked. “Good,” Cleo said, drawing in another secret notebook that went in another secret pocket. “Why draw?” you might be thinking. Well she did not know how to spend 1 hour. “No,” she whispered as she looked at the mouth she had drawn too big. 50 tries later, she got it perfect with 59 minutes remaining. “Yes,” she whispered.

When recess ended she rushed in to avoid the crowd and she slipped on spilled water. She stumbled in a room full of paper. She could not resist so she read one. “Oh no they are going to kill us!” she tried to warn everyone, but they did not listen. She made a plan. First, she got the spike in her hair to do some awesome things. One of its powers added information to her brain silently. She packed water, food (no goose water) and other extra stuff but not too much.

She ran out and an explosion went off. A cat flew on top of her. “MEOWW!!!!” “Hey, I am Lima,” Lima the cat said. “Hi, I am Cleo.”

Poof! Zulda, Puna, and Lin appeared. “Hi Lima,” they said. “Hi Zulda, Puna and Lin.” Wait, if they aren’t imaginary, then I must be magical. “Now run with me if you want to live!”

To be continued . . . . .